Monday, February 29, 2016

I have always loved painting and I have done a few pieces over the years but this is something I want to get more serious about learning. It is so relaxing like crocheting and knitting. Realizing that it is a learned skill just like fiber arts hit home with me and has given me the courage to just start REALLY doing this.

I plan to do 4-5 paintings a week. So I will be posting those along with my fiber arts on here. I am thrilled with the way today's painting turned out! If you are interested I followed this tutorial. The one thing I am sure of..... I need to get an angle brush!

Thursday, February 11, 2016

I love decorating for holidays. Christmas is my favorite. I love the warmth of a glowing tree. I decided to keep that around this year.

Just after Christmas JoAnn Fabric and Crafts was having a sale on all of their Christmas stock. I couldn't believe it when I found a 2 foot white tree! I had this idea before and always thought that white would be nice for a year round because it would show the happy colors of Valentine's Day, Easter, spring and summer flowers so well. I grabbed my little tree (which cost next to nothing on this sale) and happily brought it home and set it in out living room.

With Valentine's Day coming I wanted to make little hearts to place all over my tree. I used the tutorial Chic and Cheap provided on You Tube. I grabbed a few yarns from my stash and began making them.I used worsted weight in red, white and pink. Then for a touch of fun I used a variegated sock yarn in blues, oranges and yellows. I should add that this is not a hands off tree. So, little ones play with and rearrange the hearts.

I then made a garland using Tuff Puff in the conch colorway from Knit Picks. I made this by simply chaining a long chain fitting it for my tree. The yarn was so thick, being super bulky weight, that I didn't need to do anything else.

Last, I made a nice, big, fluffy pom pom for the tree topper. I took my white and pink yarn and wrapped it around a children's book (it was right beside me) until I had the thickness I desired. Then, I carefully slid it off of the book and tied the center with a strand of yarn. It was then time to cut, cut and cut the ball until it looked even and full. I tied it to the top of the tree and voila! A Valentine's Day tree! Yes, there will be goodies around this tree Valentine's morning. I will post more about those later.

I am going to try making a video of how I made my pink hearts. They are bigger and shaped a little differently than the others. I think I will try this tomorrow. We will see how it goes! I hope smoothly as I plan to start a crochet/knit podcast shortly and I am leaning towards a video podcast. Happy crocheting!

Updating this to let you know that the video is now up on the blog here!

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

I loved this pattern the moment I saw it. It was perfect. You see, I just got a chance to do something that has been on my heart for a long time.

First, let me say that I am not looking for a pat on the back. I am writing this to encourage other fiber artists. I want to encourage you to use your talent to help others. I know many, many other artists already do this. This was my first chance and it was a blessing to me!

A friend from my crochet group posted about a little boy in her family that is fighting cancer. She wanted to put together a package for him so, she asked ladies in our group, if we were able, to make something for the package.

I have always felt that the Lord gives us talents and we should use them to help and bless others. I always had good intentions of reaching out somehow with crochet, but I never did.

I new I needed to do this. It may seem like it's just a little toy plane but the joy he will feel when he gets his special package from all of these dear ladies will be healing for him. (Proverbs 17:22~ A merry heart does good like medicine...) I felt so much joy as I made this, it really was a blessing to me too. I also got a chance to pray for him and his family as I made this. I would like to ask others who read this to pray for him as well.

There are many organizations that fiber artists can donate to. I would encourage you to look them up in your area and donate if you are able. This is something I plan to do as well.

And as for the adorable pattern, it is called Crochet Airplane. This plane is just too cute. I love how bright and colorful it is! I was so inspired, I ran straight to my stash and found different worsted weight yarns that looked great for a little fella's plane and away I went. The writer did a wonderful job with this pattern. It is easy to follow and I made it in a day. My own little guy saw this and loved it, so I am making him one too! I figured that was also a good sign that the other little boy will like it as well. It is a perfect size for little hands and there is just something endearing about a chubby little plane I think!